About

Welcome to the Natural Parents Network, a community of natural-minded parents and parents-to-be where you will be informed, empowered, and inspired. NatParNet would not be possible without the generous help of our volunteers. Please take a moment to get to know our Co-founders, Editors, Authors, Mentors, Social Media and Networking Managers, Forum Administrators and Moderators, and the other volunteers who keep NPN running smoothly.

Contact us if you would like to get involved!

Natural Parents Network Co-founders

Dionna Ford, Author of Code Name: Mama

Dionna is a lawyer turned work at home mama of two amazing kids, Kieran and Ailia. You can normally find Dionna over at Code Name: Mama where she shares information, resources, and her thoughts on natural parenting and life with little ones. She is passionate about issues regarding attachment parenting, breastfeeding (particularly breastfeeding beyond infancy), RIC, and gentle discipline. Dionna also co-founded NursingFreedom.org (a site dedicated to normalizing breastfeeding), is a regular contributor on API Speaks (the blog sponsored by Attachment Parenting International), and co-hosts the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting.

Lauren Wayne, Author of Hobo Mama

Lauren works and writes at home with her husband, Crackerdog Sam, their preschool son, Mikko, and hobo baby Alrik. At Hobo Mama, Lauren blogs about natural and attachment parenting, breastfeeding, babywearing, cloth diapering, green living, and more. Lauren offers reviews and giveaways of natural parenting products at Hobo Mama Reviews and gives a behind-the scenes look at blogging and novel writing at LaurenWayne.com. Lauren co-hosts the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting and has been featured on Eco Baby Steps, Knickernappies, NursingFreedom.org, Catapult Magazine, and BlogHer.

Natural Parents Network Editors

Amy, Lead Editor and Author of Anktangle

Amy is a work from home Momma to a fabulous son, Daniel. Amy writes about the things she holds close to her heart: family, delicious food, and her adventures in natural parenting. She is passionate about natural childbirth, breastfeeding, gentle, intuitive parenting, and respecting all people, no matter how small. Amy writes about all of it at Anktangle.

Amanda, Review/Giveaway Co-Editor and Author of Let’s Take the Metro

Amanda is the mother of two girls born 15 months apart and is currently caring for them full-time. Her two deepest, non-human loves are psychology and writing. Passions include gardening, cooking, baking, learning, reading, sewing, breastfeeding, baby wearing, being green, nutrition, homeopathy, alternative medicine, and constantly striving to be a better parent. She spends most of her day not watching TV and tries to get her children outside as much as possible. She hopes to one day have a green house AND a root cellar.

Christine Powell, Sponsorship Co-Manager and Author of African Babies Don’t Cry

Christine Powell is a teacher turned stay-at-home mom to her beautiful son. She lives in South Africa and does all she can to promote extended breastfeeding in a community that has started to view this age old custom as “lower class.” She is passionate about bringing her son up as naturally as possible, and she believes that breastfeeding and co-sleeping have helped make him into the bubbly, confident and energetic little boy he is. Christine has a background in natural nutrition and is a committed vegetarian (pescatarian) believing strongly in the wise words “we are what we eat.” In her spare time she enjoys taking her son for long walks, reading and writing.

Cynthia, Ask the Mentor Editor and Author of The Hippie Housewife

Cynthia is the mother of two little boys, a fascinatingly inquisitive preschooler and a sweet homebirthed toddler. Previously an accountant, she now stays at home with her boys, runs a small home daycare, and teaches an online course on the side. She likes to knit and sew in her “spare time.” She looks forward to nurturing her boys’ love of learning as they enter into their official homeschooling years. She is passionate about gentle discipline, attachment parenting, natural living, and informed choices. Cynthia writes about her life as a Jesus-follower and her journey towards more intentional living at The Hippie Housewife.

Jenni Springer-Allan, Cooking Naturally Editor and Author of Monday Morning Coffee

Jenni is a Christian stay at home mommy of three amazing boys and two wonderful step-kids (ages 5 months – 17yrs), married to her best friend who has been wonderfully supportive and on board with her dive into all things natural, organic, and homeopathic. She is passionate about natural birth, cloth diapering, breastfeeding, bed sharing, gentle parenting, healthy cooking, and more. She can usually be found in the kitchen whipping up a new recipe for the men in her life who are ridden with food intolerance and allergies, peaking through her camera lens to capture every moment, or holding a warm cup of coffee to keep her sanity. Her main goal in life is to raise happy, healthy children who know that their God loves them unwaveringly and wants them to treat others with that same love and respect no matter their beliefs or background. Her new blog is about her passion for her family, food and photography.

Jennifer, Volunteer Recognition Manager and Author of Hybrid Rasta Mama

Jennifer is a former government recruiter turned stay-at-home mama to a precious daughter (Aaliyah) brought earthside in March 2009. She is passionate about breastfeeding (especially extended breastfeeding), co-sleeping, attachment parenting, cloth diapering, green living, babywearing, peaceful parenting, a Waldorf approach to education and parenting, playful parenting, getting children outside, as well as cooking and eating Traditional Foods. Jennifer believes that it is extremely important for moms to have a strong network of support and to that end has been active both in her local La Leche League and Attachment Parenting chapters.

Jennifer, Cooking Naturally Co-Editor and Author of True Confessions of a Real Mommy

Jennifer is an HBAC-ing, geek-loving foodie, with aspirations of athleticism. Mom to two boys 23 months apart, Jennifer is a strong advocate of natural parenting and treating children with respect and kindness. Between Zumba and training for the Warrior Dash, being a connected parent and wife and the sort of friend others can always count on for a drink when needed, Jennifer co-authors one blog with her oldest boy, Little View of a Big World and writes her own, True Confessions of a Real Mommy.

Momma Jorje, Wordless Wednesday Co-Editor and Author of Momma Jorje

Jorje is a slightly crunchy momma (and wife!) sliding down the slippery slope of full-on hippydom. She stays busy with 3 children and is passionate about breastfeeding, co-sleeping, baby signing, elimination communication, and general attachment parenting. Jorje blogs at Momma Jorje where she also advocates for Down Syndrome Awareness.

Rebekah, Wordless Wednesday Co-Editor and Author of Liberated Family

Rebekah is a free-spirited, gleeful, exuberant mama of two, best friends with her constant companion and co-author of Liberated Family. When not blogging, breastfeeding, or chasing after little ones she is usually reading, knitting or taking steps towards a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Sarah, Sponsorship Co-Manager and Author of Parenting God’s Children

Sarah is a God-loving stay at home mom to two beautiful little girls, Esther and Abigail. She’s been married to her best friend, Jared, for five years. She is also a birth doula. She’s in the midst of turning crunchy and is doing a lot of research on vaccines and chiropractic care for her girls. She’s passionate about other mothers, natural family planning, natural birth, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, babywearing, buying local, making baby food and homemade products for around the house, gardening, composting, recycling, and her backyard chickens. Sarah is the coordinator for a local Bible study group for mothers called Mom to Mom.

Shannon, Featured Blogger Editor and Author of Pineapples & Artichokes

Shannon is former nanny and a current stay at home, crafty, geeky mom to one very energetic girl. She writes about sewing, radical homemaking, and playful parenting at Pineapples & Artichokes. She is passionate about breastfeeding, compassionate parenting, and green living.

Shannon R., Review/Giveaway Co-Editor and Author of The Artful Mama

Shannon is an artist, high school art teacher, field hockey coach, wife, and mother to a mischievous little boy. After the birth of her son, she experienced difficulty breastfeeding, and under some poor advice, started expressing her milk instead. She almost had to give up when after two months her supply dropped and she could no longer express enough milk. She was finally introduced to kangaroo care by a friend; after that excellent experiences she dove head long into attachment parenting theory and has not looked back. In between work, pumping, breastfeeding, changing cloth diapers and neglecting housework, she finds time for a little self-therapy by writing her blog.

Natural Parents Network Resource Editors

Adrienne Anderson, Resources Editor and Author of Mommying My Way

Adrienne is a first time mom to her mellow sweetie-pie, Burkley. Carrying her natural lifestyle over into her role of mother was a common-sense transition for this former elementary school teacher turned crunchy-mama. Research is her passion and her friends and family know that she is almost always ready with a stash of resources bookmarked to answer any of their natural parenting questions. While she admits to being on the computer more than she should be, she has been happily adjusting to her new life as a stay-at-home mom after moving back home to the Quad Cities (along the Mississippi River) from Chicago, by spending time with her family and newly found mom-friends. She is currently saving up money to become a certified postpartum doula.

Lauren Babbage, Lead Resources Editor

Lauren is a married stay-at-home mom to her 13-month old daughter, Rowan. She and her husband, Jon, are an atheist/agnostic, babywearing, bedsharing, breastfeeding, cloth-diapering/EC’ing, selective/delayed vax’ing, gentle discipline, natural/organic eating family. Though it rendered her questionably employable, her background in philosophy and need to question everything led her right to the joys of natural parenting. In her spare time, she reads, sews, knits, and drives the tractor on their 13-acre patch of farm in the country.

Stefanie, Resources Editor and Author of very, very fine

Stefanie is a Jewish Southern California transplant living in the Pacific Northwest with her high school teaching partner and toddler son, who is a positively fantastic advertisement for gentle birthing, breastfeeding, baby wearing, co-sleeping, vegetarianism, cloth diapering and remaining intact. She spends her occasional free time playing the autoharp, sewing, writing and daydreaming about goat ownership.

Natural Parents Network Authors

Abbie Walston, Author of Farmer’s Daughter

Abbie is a breastfeeding, cosleeping, attached working mother to Joshua, wife to Ed, an environmentalist, teacher, and blogger. She was raised on her family’s 300-year-old farm in Connecticut, where she learned to love animals and nature. In her science classroom, she focuses on place-based, experiential learning. She supports sustainable living, shops from local farms, cooks from scratch, gardens, reads and writes in her spare time, and blogs about it at Farmer’s Daughter.

Acacia, Author of Fingerpaint and Superheroes

Acacia is a stay at home mama playing through life one moment at a time with her husband and two young sons. She is a natural parenting, cloth diapering, gentle disciplining, home schooling, wholesome foods eating, spiritually centered steward to this great Mother Earth.

Adrienne Anderson, Author of Mommying My Way (See bio under Resource Editors)

Amy Phoenix, Author of Presence Parenting

Amy is a gentle yet direct momma of five, meditation facilitator, and parent educator dedicated to liberating anything that gets in the way of experiencing the peace of the present. Amy provides resources for relaxing into parenting and life at Presence Parenting.

Amy Willa, Author of Toddler In Tow
Amy is a Coast Guard wife and full-time mother to two enthusiastic and lovely children, Abbey (3) and Joe (5 months). She writes at Toddler In Tow about navigating an authentic parenting, natural living, military family journey with as much grace as she can manage. She is particularly interested in learning and writing about compassion, cooperation, and responsibility as they relate to mindful living and parenting, and hopes that through documenting and exploring her experiences, she can contribute to the nurture of a peaceful and responsible generation of children. In addition to mothering and blogging, Amy enjoys sewing cloth diapers, knitting, and dedicating herself to baby-wearing, mom-to-mom breastfeeding support, and the study of human lactation and sociology. She has been featured on Code Name: Mama, ACU’s, Stiletto Shoes, and Pretty Pink Tutus, and Milk Mamas Speak, and loves being a part of the wonderful Natural Parenting community!

Arpita, Author of Up, Down and Natural

Arpita has a background in sociology and psychology and is studying to be a Post Partum Doula. She has a special interest in helping mothers establish the breastfeeding relationship and sharing information about natural/attachment parenting. She lives in Canada with her husband. As they await their first pregnancy, Arpita writes about alternative fertility treatments including acupuncture for fertility, naturopathic medicine and ayurvedic medicine (and offers giveaways) at Up, Down and Natural. In her spare time she enjoys yoga, cooking, baking, knitting, scrapbooking and photography.

Charise Rohm Nulsen, Author of I Thought I Knew Mama

Charise is the proud wife and mother to a husband and baby that inspire her on a daily basis. A former professional, first in the magazine industry and then as a special education English teacher, Charise is now a stay at home mama to her son. She feels so fortunate to currently be living her dream of being both a mama and a writer. Charise does her very best to be a natural, attached parent, and enjoys chronicling her experiences in doing so on her blog. When Charise is not blogging, she loves to read, hike, snowboard, travel, dance, and do pretty much anything with the two loves of her life.

Dulce, Author of Dulce de leche

Dulce is learning to walk in grace with her amazing husband and four wonderful kidlets. She is a perpetual provider of magic mami milk who practices gentle discipline, shares a family bed, homeschools, teaches Spanish, and blogs at Dulce de leche. Each day brings plenty of iced coffee and a fresh lesson in trusting her children, herself and the Love that surrounds and fills us. Sometimes it feels like livin’ a vida loca, but overall, life is incredibly sweet.

Emily Bartnikowski, Author of Embrita Blogging

Emily spends more time playing with her son Sebastian than she does working on her in-progress novel, but since children are only small once, she’s willing to let everything else slide. An almost-native of Texas, she now lives in Northern California – a relocation instigated by her husband’s career. She spends her free time rotating laundry and being generally five steps behind on the rest of the chores. When she gets even more free time she bakes, climbs rocks, daydreams about interior design (a career she put on hold when they moved), takes dozens of pictures of whatever strikes her fancy, blogs at Embrita Blogging and Cool Kids Reading, researches homeschooling and mindful parenting, and writes about offing (made-up) people.

Gretchen, Author of That Mama Gretchen

Gretchen recently transitioned from a corporate sales and marketing position to an independent consulting role which allows her to stay at home with her daughter, Jemma. Gretchen and her husband, Dominic, are passionate about raising a Christian family, financial freedom, attachment parenting, and healthy living. She is learning, loving, and laughing through motherhood while juggling nap times, work, homemaking, and the occasional craft project. In her spare time Gretchen is pursuing La Leche League leadership and preparing to build her first home with Dominic and Jemma. She blogs about it all at That Mama Gretchen.

Jenn Collins, Author of Monkey Butt Junction

Jenn is the proud mom of a toddler named Jack. She turned to natural parenting as a way to develop a deep bond with her son despite working long hours outside the home. Her interest in natural parenting has led her to embrace a greener lifestyle for herself and her family. Her husband Dan is a stay at home dad, and together they delight in sharing their love of the outdoors with their son through biking, hiking, running, camping, gardening and canoeing.

Jennifer, Author of Hybrid Rasta Mama (See bio under Editors)

Kelly, Author of Becoming Crunchy

Kelly is a first time mom of a beautiful baby daughter and writes about the changes her family is making to live more healthfully and sustainably as inspired by their little girl. She didn’t know anything about natural parenting except that it was what seemed totally natural when she became a mom, and has made her into the babywearing, co-sleeping hippie mama she’s always been on the inside. She is a book-a-holic and currently on mat leave from her double life as a barista. She’s lived in the US, Mexico and now Canada and would love to travel more with her husband and family. Her dream is to have at least 4 kids and live out in the country some day…she would also love to eventually become a doula and/or midwife.

Kelly Moore, Author of KellyNaturally.com

Kelly is an attachment parenting, gentle disciplining, vegetarian, working mom of two Montessori-schooled kids. She’s been a family bed sharer, tandem breastfeeder, and babywearer. Kelly loves to garden, read, help her husband run their business, and find fun places to go adventuring with her family.  She blogs at KellyNaturally.com.

Kristin Waitt Hutchinson, Author of Intrepid Murmurings

Kristin is an artist, former kindergarten teacher, and stay-at-home mama to toddler twins, Elsie and Delia, and big sister Emma. She writes at Intrepid Murmurings about her attempts to embrace motherhood, nurture creativity and stay sane while juggling three spirited girls under 5. She is particularly interested in navigating the difficulties and challenges (and joys!) of natural parenting and attachment parenting with multiples – including cloth diapering, babywearing, breastfeeding, sleep, and gentle/positive discipline. She has been featured on CodeName: Mama, NursingFreedom.org, and Multiples and More.

Laura, Author of WaldenMommy: Life Behind the Red Front Door

Laura is most often found driving her herd of four small children around mid-western suburbia or tackling Mt. NeverEndingLaundry. Online, she blogs at WaldenMommy: Life Behind the Red Front Door about her life with The Herd, her Engineer Husband and their pesky dog; her faith; and dealing with post-partum PTSD following the premature birth of her third child. A natural birthing, breastfeeding, baby-wearing, semi-co-sleeping, healthy eating, green living hippie who likes shopping and shoes, she doesn’t claim to be a perfect mother . . . but is the perfect mother for her children.

Laura, Author of Pug in the Kitchen
Laura is a stay at home mama to two spunky little ones. She’s learning day by day with her family as they strive to live as naturally as possible. She’s also cooking from scratch, hanging cloth diapers on the line (in full view of the neighborhood!), growing and preserving their food, breastfeeding, homebirthing, and spending lots of time in the great outdoors. Laura loves to learn and her family provides more than enough for her to draw from! She shares what she learns at Pug in the Kitchen.

Luschka van Onselen, Author of Diary of a First Child

Luschka is a project manager turned WAHM. She suffered Hyperemesis Gravidarum during her pregnancy, which was medically mismanaged, causing her to turn to the internet for help. There she discovered home birthing, and with it a whole new world she’d never heard of before: Attachment Parenting. After her successful home water birth, Luschka chose not to return to work – a surprise to everyone, but mostly herself – and instead focuses on her daughter. She blogs at Diary of a First Child where she examines, shares, and analyzes every new phase in the journey of motherhood. Luschka is passionate about pregnancy, homebirth, breastfeeding, baby wearing, baby led weaning, wooden toys, and natural healing – and she loves knowing that each new phase her daughter goes into offers her a new wealth of learning.

Mandy O’Brien, Author of Living Peacefully with Children

Mandy is married to her best friend and is a stay-at-home-mom to their four wonderful children. She holds multiple degrees in the sciences and music and is a self-proclaimed research fanatic. Her love of learning plays a large role in her unschooling journey with her family and her volunteer involvement with various homeschooling and parenting groups. You can find her at Living Peacefully with Children, where she writes about natural parenting topics such as unassisted birth, babywearing, breastfeeding (including child-led weaning), genital integrity, unschooling, bed-sharing, and gentle parenting/consensual living, along with some of her other musings about her journey towards simple living, her artistic leanings, and thoughts on some of the many books she reads.

Melissa Kemendo, Author of The New Mommy Files: Memories, Milestones, and Missteps

Melissa is a former Montessori teacher and a current stay at home mom, wife, and student. Melissa is passionate about natural birth, breastfeeding, ECing and cloth diapering, baby led weaning, bed sharing, instinctual mothering, and vegan cooking, among many other things. She writes regularly about life as a new mom as well as many of the above topics over at The New Mommy Files.

Melodie Towers, Author of Breastfeeding Moms Unite!

Melodie is the mom of two girls (ages 3 and 6) and the author of Breastfeeding Moms Unite! where she talks a lot about breastfeeding a pre-schooler, but also provides tips and education about breastfeeding in general. She is also passionate about mom-to-mom support, natural/attachment parenting, real food, and vegetarianism. Melodie is also home schooling her oldest daughter, and has just returned to her mental health career after 6 years of being a SAHM.

Rachael, Author of The Variegated Life

Rachael is the work-at-home mother of a vivacious two-year-old boy. As a freelancer, she edits and writes educational materials for K–12 students and teaches online creative writing classes through The Writers Studio. She is also a poet who was foolish enough to have married an artist. Though Rachael never planned to do anything other than attachment parenting, her pre-motherhood self probably would be surprised to see her happily nursing a toddler — and in a family bed! She is grateful to have found an online community of others doing much the same. Rachael writes about making her way toward work-life balance in a family of artists at The Variegated Life.

NPN’s “Ask the Natural Parenting Mentors”

Acacia, Author of Fingerpaint and Superheroes(See bio under Articles Editors)

Amy Phoenix, Author of Innate Wholeness
(See bio under Authors)

Chris, Author of Liberated Family

Chris is a work-at-home father of two boys and husband/partner to his best friend, Rebekah. Natural parenting is not so much a method as an instinctual and respectful way of treating his children. He enjoys web design, woodworking, apologetics, and is a self-professed indie music snob. As an UNusual person, he also believes in UNjobbing, UNschooling, and that if you follow your heart the rest of your life just seems to fall into place. Chris blogs with his wife at Liberated Family.

Erica Keil, Author of ChildOrganics

Erica worked in the educational system as a sign language interpreter before becoming a mother. After the birth of her first child she started her business, ChildOrganics, with the support of her husband. They were very interested in attachment parenting, passionate about cloth diapering, natural childbirth and believe strongly in making conscious choices for their family. Their second pregnancy and birth were very different than the natural, peaceful pregnancy they had with their first. Their sweet baby girl was born with Walker Warburg Syndrome characterized by severe hydrocephalus, Muscular Dystrophy, and many other abnormalities. Their daughter died after a short 16 months of life in 2007. Their family was later blessed with a beautiful home birth of a healthy baby boy. Now Erica spends most of her days homeschooling her oldest and chasing after her spunky three year old. She is an advocate of children with special needs and very passionate about her family. She enjoys blogging about natural parenting topics and their family adventures.

Jennifer, Author of Hybrid Rasta Mama (See bio under Editors)

Joni Rae, Author of Tales of a Kitchen Witch

Joni Rae is a writer, artist, and homeschooling mom to four children and wife to an awesome truck driving, cello playing English dude. She has been blogging for the last ten years and can be found at jonirae.com.

Dr. Laura Markham, Author of Aha! Parenting
Dr. Laura Markham trained as a Clinical Psychologist at Columbia University, but she’s also a mom, so she understands kids — and parents! Her book, Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting will be published by Penguin-Perigee later this year. Dr. Laura’s free weekly email, Secrets of Happy Parents, is available at AhaParenting.com, the source of Aha! moments for parents. She lives in New York with her husband and their two delightful teenagers.

Luschka van Onselen, Author of Diary of a First Child (See bio under Authors)

Mandy O’Brien, Author of Living Peacefully with Children (See bio under Authors)

Melissa V., Author of White Noise

Melissa is a mother to four active, noisy children and spends much of her time delivering hugs and homework help and kisses for scrapes and bumps. She blogs at White Noise and is a board member and writer for a Canadian birth advocacy organization, Mothers of Change. Melissa also works part time as a paramedic, doula, and visual artist, and practices the fine art of procrastination on a daily basis. She hopes to someday become a midwife. She is passionate about family, natural birth, healthy food, breastfeeding, babywearing, attachment parenting, environmentalism, fighting poverty, and all forms of art, including artful living. She holds a special place in her heart for adoption, having adopted one child from overseas and embraced being a multicultural family as a result.

Moorea Malatt, Author of Mamalady: Adventures in Lesbian Parenting

Moorea is a lesbian mama, wife, life coach, postpartum doula and a children’s musician. She writes about sleep deprivation, breastfeeding, queer parenthood, and spirituality at Mamalady: Adventures in Lesbian Parenting.

Sheryl Jesin, Author of Little Snowflakes

Sheryl is the proud mom of two boys (ages 3 and 1 month) and is passionate about helping nursing moms through her work as a La Leche League leader. She also happens to work full time as a lawyer (although she is currently enjoying a wonderful, year long maternity leave). Whenever she has a chance, she writes for her blog, Little Snowflakes, where she explores various topics from an attachment and natural parenting perspective. In her free time, she loves going for long walks, practicing yoga and crocheting.

Stacy Lewis, author of Sweet Sky

Stacy is the mother of two boys, ages 7 and 4. After becoming a mother, her heart led her to discover home birth, extended breastfeeding, elimination communication, baby-led weaning, gentle discipline, and true joy in the ever-evolving flow of parenting peacefully. At Sweet Sky, she shares the salty-sweet of raising her two sons and writes about mindfulness, unschooling, and their everyday shenanigans.

NPN Social Media and Networking Managers

Twitter: Alicia Voorhies, author of The Soft Landing

Alicia married her Knight in Shining Armor 20 years ago and has enjoyed homeschooling her three amazing kids for the last eight years. She is a registered nurse and confessed medical research geek with a love for alternative health ideas. Functioning as part of a work-at-home team with her mom and sisters, she researches safe products and educates parents about the dangers of toxic chemicals through The Soft Landing. Her work has been cited by ABC News, Newsweek, the New York Times, the Kansas City Star and health-conscious websites such as Dr. Greene, National Geographic’s The Green Guide, Environmental Working Group (EWG), and the Center for Health Environment and Justice (CHEJ). She is currently serving as a Healthy Child Healthy World Parent Ambassador.

StumbleUpon and Facebook: Christine Powell, Author of African Babies Don’t Cry (See bio under Editors)

Facebook: Emily Bartnikowski, Author of Embrita Blogging (see bio under Authors)

Twitter: Isil Simsek, author of Smiling Like Sunshine

Isil is a Turkish mother living in England. She has a 4 year old daughter and an 18 month old son. She is passionate about natural childbirth, breastfeeding, babywearing, gentle discipline, green living, organic and local foods, sustainable living and informed healthcare decisions. When not blogging or breastfeeding, she can be found playing with playdough, crafting with her daughter or eating chocolate. Isil blogs at Smiling like Sunshine.

StumbleUpon: Jennifer, Author of True Confessions of a Real Mommy (See bio under Editors)

Blogroll: Jessika Bailey, Author of Job Description: Mommy

Jessika moved from the city to a cabin in the mountains 6 years ago, after marrying a lifelong friend, and is now a stay at home mom of two toddlers, 13 months apart, and a teenager. A former massage therapy student, tv station manager, bartender and booking agent, who traded it all (willingly) for motherhood. She is passionate about (tandem) breastfeeding, natural and attachment parenting, holistic health practices, healthy eating, nature and learning to live more simply & sustainably. Online you can find her at Job Description: Mommy, where she writes of the aforementioned as well as her adventures in motherhood, sharing recipes, arts & crafts, and doing natural product reviews and giveaways.

StumbleUpon and Facebook: Julia Mangan, Author of A Little Bit of All of It

Julia is a stay-at-home mom of her toddler daughter, Marcella. She blogs over at A Little Bit of All of It where she writes product and book reviews, shares her thoughts and experiences on babies, birth and parenting and also food, Christianity and other random stuff. She is passionate about attachment parenting, breastfeeding beyond infancy, baby-led weaning in relation to starting solids, cloth diapering, bedsharing/co-sleeping and natural childbirth.

Facebook: Joella, Author of Fine and Fair

Joella is a full-time wife and mom and a part-time undergrad student and substance abuse counselor. In her spare time (ha!) she blogs at Fine and Fair, a compilation of letters to her daughter about the journey of raising her as a responsible citizen of the world with the core values of compassion toward all living things, environmental responsibility, and celebrating diversity in all of its forms. Joella is passionate about the principles of attachment parenting, breastfeeding, feminism, and vegetarianism. She enjoys gardening, hiking, playing guitar, and aims to discover joy and beauty in each new day.

Facebook: Kym, Author of Our Crazy Corner of the World

Kym is a 27 year old God-loving SAHM to a two-year-old boy, a patriotic military wife, and a doula in training living deep in the heart of Texas. She graduated from college with a degree in History Education/Religious Studies and three weeks later gave birth to her wonderful son. Her passions lie in homemaking, natural birth, breastfeeding, gentle/natural parenting, cloth diapers, co-sleeping, and living a healthy lifestyle. When she’s not chasing her toddler (or being chased by him), she blogs about life at Our Crazy Corner of the World. In her spare time (ha!), she loves cooking, gardening, spending time with her husband at the shooting range or hiking, reading or watching Lord of the Rings (over and over), running and swimming.

Facebook: Lani, Author of Boobie Time

Lani is mom to a very active boy known as “B” who keeps her on her toes. By trade Lani is a Pediatric Dental Hygienist of more than 10 years, but she is enjoying taking this time off to be with her little man. Lani loves breastfeeding and baby-wearing. She feels very strongly that women are each other’s greatest support when it comes to successful breastfeeding and parenting. In her spare time she loves photography and up-cycling furniture.

Facebook: Sarah, Sponsorship Co-Manager and Author of Parenting God’s Children (See bio under Editors)

NPN Forum Administrators and Moderators

Alicia, Author of Lactation Narration

Alicia is married to her high school sweetheart and is the mom to two girls. After taking immunology courses in graduate school, Alicia knew she would breastfeed, and she has done so while working full-time as a bench scientist in an immunology research lab. She has a special interest in breastfeeding, particularly extended breastfeeding, tandem nursing, pumping at work, nursing in public, the science of lactation, and breastfeeding advocacy. While Alicia works outside the home, she feels that breastfeeding, co-sleeping, and baby-wearing have enhanced her attachment with her little ones when they are together. Alicia blogs about breastfeeding at Lactation Narration.

Elena Margo Gould, Author of Wise Way Tribe

Elena Margo Gould is Mama to five, writer and reader, teacher and student, currently residing in the foothills of the Appalachians. Her passion for natural and attachment parenting stems partly from lofty ideals of deep meaningful connection with family, Earth and Sky, and partly from her personal experience of N/AP being cheaper, easier and funner than the alternatives! She blogs at Wise Way Tribe about her journey of connection and reflection.

Kat, Author of Loving {Almost} Every Moment

Kat is and loves many things. Mostly she loves her husband and being a mommy to her three kiddos. Her background in Psychology and Health Promotion has her always asking questions and wondering what she can do to make her kiddos’ world a better, healthier place. During her “free” time she works as a Life Coach, focusing on Parent Coaching, and and is pursuing her Birth Doula certification. On the side she enjoys writing, photography, reading, yoga and chatting about anything and everything. You can find her blogging at Loving {Almost} Every Moment, where she writes mostly about life with kiddos and all that comes along the parenting journey!

Rebekah, Author of Liberated Family (see bio under Editors)

Natural Parents Network Volunteers

Our many thanks go to the volunteers who helped us get started on our resource pages: Heather P., Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch, Maman A Droit, Mandi S., Janel S., April at The Mommy Trenches, and Christy W.

Click here to subscribe to a daily digest of NPN volunteers’ blog posts in one tidy email or here to subscribe by RSS feed. Thank you to Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama for setting up the RSS feed.